Shattered
by youkillmypatience
Summary: What if Beckett wasn't the one to get shot at Montgomery's funeral? What if Castle pushed her out of the way? Post-Knockout, Multi-chapter.
1. Shattered

_Summary: What if Beckett wasn't the one to get shot at Montgomery's funeral? What if Castle pushed her out of the way? Post-Knockout, Multi-chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. Or the characters. Or the storylines. _

_A/N: So, for the longest time, my computer wasn't working. The one I'm using isn't mine. I was going to get Sarah (__**Castlewriter13**__) to upload, but then I used this random, old computer instead :P_

_I haven't really had any time to write, I have a **ton** of fics that I need to upload (they're handwritten, not typed so I would need to type them too). It's exam week (or weeks, I should say) so I;ve been studying a ton. I had this idea, though, and I had to write it down. Then, I figured...why not share it? So I did. Evidently._

_I didn't want to jump on the 'Knockout' bandwagon, there are a LOT of fics, but this one's different. *shrugs* _

_This chapter's pretty short, but the other ones will be longer. I promise. I pinky-swear. And sorry for the somewhat long author's note._

_Read on :)_

**Chapter one**

Kate Beckett was numb.

She was standing in a cemetery, giving Captain Montgomery's eulogy, and she was numb. She looked up and saw Montgomery's wife crying. She saw his daughters and son. She saw Martha and Alexis, and Lanie and Esposito and Ryan.

"…and if you're lucky, you'll find someone willing to stand with you." she said.

Beckett paused, then turned her head. She saw Castle. He stood, staring back at her. He was standing by her.

She had pushed him away, told him that the two of them were over, and he didn't care. He called a hundred times, he carried her out of the hanger, he stayed with her. He stood with her, just as he always had. Just like he always would.

Beckett held his gaze for another second, then turned back. She continued her speech, still numb.

Roy was dead. He was gone. Roy, the father figure she had always looked up to. Roy, the protective captain. Roy, the man involved with her mother's murder. Roy, the hero. Roy, the mysterious third cop. Roy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Beckett saw Castle jump.

"Kate!" he cried, lunging for her.

His arms wrapped around her waist and suddenly they were flying through the air. He exclaimed in pain and went rigid. He landed on top of her with a _thud_ and she rolled him off of her. She couldn't hear the screams around her, or see anyone else's face. All she saw was Castle's blood staining his shirt and her gloves.

Castle had been shot.

"Castle!" yelled Beckett.

He blinked at her, the lights fading from his eyes.

"Castle, stay with me, okay?" she pleaded with him.

The corner of his mouth turned up and he gurgled something at her. She knew he was gloating. He was gloating that she admitted she needed him. Suddenly, nothing mattered.

The sniper didn't matter. The screams around them didn't matter. The chaos didn't matter. Josh didn't matter. All she needed was Castle. She needed Castle because he was her partner, her friend. She needed him because she loved him. And now he'd never know.

"Rick." whispered Beckett. "I love you."

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth.

"Love…"

She waited.

He groaned. His eyes widened again, then closed. He stopped moving.

"Rick." She breathed. "Rick, come on, stay with me. Open your eyes."

A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, there were strong arms around her, pulling her back. Esposito? What was he doing? She half-heartedly fought, but eventually let him win. He was too strong, and she was too feeble, too shocked.

Noise assaulted her from all sides. It was like someone turned the volume up. _All _the way up.

Ryan and some uniforms were chasing after the sniper, with Ryan in the lead. No one broke Beckett's family, killed Montgomery and shot Castle and got away with it. Not on his watch. Not ever.

Lanie…was suddenly there? Had Esposito really carried her that far? Lanie wrapped her arms around Beckett, holding her close. Esposito dashed off toward Castle again.

Alexis and Martha were huddled together, out of harm's way, sobbing into each other. Beckett pulled away from Lanie and ran over to them, Lanie following closely behind Beckett. Alexis threw herself around the detective. Tears coursed silently down her cheeks.

Beckett held the girl, worrying. What if Castle died? Then Alexis would have lost her father. She'd have to get through life without her dad. No dad to tease. No dad to hug. No dad to talk about boys awkwardly with, or to play laser tag with. No dad.

Sure, she'd have Martha, and her mother, but it wouldn't be the same. Castle and Alexis always had been close. They fit together in some weird, perfect way.

Alexis' life would come to a halt, and she's have to figure out how to go on without him. It would be hard. It might even be impossible.

It would definitely be impossible for Beckett. She had already lost her mom, nearly lost her dad, and she had lost Roy. Losing Castle would break her.

She was already broken, and Castle was helping her put the pieces back together. Without Castle, she wouldn't just break.

She'd shatter.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Edit: Thank you to everyone who told me that it was a funeral, not a wedding. I wasn't really paying attention when I was typing and I must have missed it :P_


	2. Waiting

_Summary: What if Beckett wasn't the one to get shot at Montgomery's funeral? What if Castle pushed her out of the way? Post-Knockout, Multi-chapter._

_Disclaimer: Haha. No. I don't own them._

_A/N: I'm really sorry for the long wait. I had this chapter written by hand at least a month ago, but I never got around to typing it and uploading it. This is also somewhat short. All the rest of the chapters will be longer, I promise. _

_Proceed. :)_

* * *

><p>"Beckett."<p>

She ignored the voice and continued pacing the waiting room.

"Beckett, come on, sit down." The voice tried again. "Pacing won't do anything."

She turned to glare at Esposito. She didn't stop pacing.

"Katherine Beckett, you get your skinny little butt over here." ordered a new voice.

"No." said Beckett coldly.

Lanie didn't back down as easily as Esposito did.

"Kate." she said a little more gently. "He hasn't even been in there for an hour. It'll be a while, still. The man was freaking shot. I wouldn't be surprised if the bullet shattered some ribs. It probably-"

"Stop!" the detective interrupted. "Please. I don't want to hear it."

She stopped pacing and flopped into the nearest chair. It was next to Alexis, who had her knees brought up to her chest. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. Martha sat on her other side and was stroking the girl's hair comfortingly.

No one said anything. There wasn't anything to be said.

Ryan came into the waiting room and headed everyone in turn a muffin. "It was all I could find." he said, shrugging.

"Eat it." Esposito told Beckett, who had been eying her muffin sceptically.

"One day," muttered Lanie. "One day I'm going to smack some sense into that girl."

Beckett took a bite and chewed mechanically without even tasting it. She took another bite and swallowed hard. She contemplated for a minute throwing at Esposito, but she decided against it.

The fluorescent lights, the smell of sanitizer, the plastic chairs, the air of despair and sadness. It was all so foreign to Beckett, yet so familiar. She had read about this kind of pain. She had watched it, seen it in movies and on T.V, but she had never experienced it firsthand. Sure, she had been through pain. Her mom's death, her dad's alcoholism, Castle delving sans permission into her mother's death, him walking away with Gina. She had been through all kinds of pain, but none of them involved sitting in a waiting room, not knowing.

The waiting. That was the unfamiliar part. She felt so helpless. There was nothing she could do except wait, and she hated it.

Ryan sat down on her other side and took her hand. It surprised her, Ryan was never the one to be touchy-feely. Not with her, anyway. She tried to pull away but he held on with an iron grip.

"Kate." He began, surprising her again. "Remember when you weren't sure if Castle was going to come back after last summer?"

He waited and she nodded, trying to suppress the painful memory.

"You didn't think he was going to come back, but he did. You know why? He's your partner. He's with you till the end, till the wheels fall off."

Beckett said nothing.

"He'll be okay. He's going to pull though. He'll do it for you. He's going to make it, and you'll help him. That's what partners do." said Ryan earnestly.

She mumbled something unintelligible.

Ryan squeezed her hand and let go. "I know it's hard, but all you can do for him right now is wait. You can whip him back into shape later, but for now, just wait. He'd do the same for you."

"But that's just it!" she cried, "It _should_ be him sitting in here, and that should be _me_ in surgery. That should be _me_ with the bullet in my chest. He pushed me out of the way. Why? Why would he do something so stupid?" she pushed her hair out of her eyes and opened her mouth to continue ranting, but Esposito interrupted.

"Beckett," he began. "If Castle was being hunted by an unknown person, if _he_ was the one who was destined to be killed, wouldn't _you_ want to help him? Wouldn't _you_ want to protect him?"

"Of course!" Beckett said indignantly.

"Exactly." said Esposito.

"But that's different."

"How? You're his partner. You're being hunted. Of _course_ he's going to want to protect you. Besides, what's he going to do, just watch as you get shot and die? Even if he wasn't your partner, the man's head over heels for you! If that was Lanie in the line of fire, I'd be by her side in a split second!"

Beckett sat in stunned disbelief.

"If Ryan was about to be shot, I'd push him out of the way and catch the son of a bitch and put him away for good. Ryan's my partner. You're Castle's. Don't expect him to just sit there."

"I feel so loved." said Ryan drily.

"Shut up. Esposito told him affectionately.

Beckett began to open her mouth but she closed it, recognizing defeat. She leaned her head onto Ryan's shoulder. It was going to be a _long_ wait.

* * *

><p><em>AN2: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Beckett wouldn't act like this. Even if, on the inside, she was dying, she's still keep her composure and not let anyone see. I'm not really sure why I made her act like this but I'm not going to change it. _

_And in a review for the last chapter, someone asked why Lanie wasn't giving Castle medical attention. ...Um...that's a good question. I kind of forgot to have her go and help him. Oops. Let's just say it's shock, shall we? xD_

_Thanks for reading and staying with this story (if there's anyone left after that too-long hiatus). Updates will be more frequent, I promise. *pinkyswears* :)_


	3. Iron Gates

_Summary: What if Beckett wasn't the one to get shot at Montgomery's funeral? What if Castle pushed her out of the way? Post-Knockout, Multi-chapter._

_Disclaimer: If you don't write the next part, you get fired._

_A/N: This is long overdue. I had most of this written on my ipod the day after I last updated. I'm such a bad fanfic writer. I'm sorry. You guys deserve better than this. I promise I'll update sooner next time. Life kind of got in the way of being able to type it up and upload it. *bows head in shame*_

_Well, reqd on, young padawans._

* * *

><p>Beckett said that she'd wait, so she waited. It could have been hours, days, weeks…she lost track of time. She waited until-<p>

"Richard Castle's family?" asked a tired looking surgeon, coming into the waiting room. He looked up, smiled sympathetically and said "Hey Kate."

All six of them stood and Beckett stared at the surgeon in stunned disbelief.

"Josh?" she asked. "_You're_ Castle's surgeon?"

"I am." He turned to face the others. "He's out of surgery. He's in a drug-induced coma. Getting the bullet out was hard because it shattered a bit but we managed. He'll be in a considerable amount of pain when he wakes up."

"But he's going to be okay?" Alexis asked, staring at Josh imploringly.

"He'll be fine." replied Josh, causing the teen to sigh in relief.

Castle was going to be okay. He'd be fine. Beckett sat back down in her chair, her legs numb. He was okay. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and reopened them. Josh was explaining his recovery. She tried to pay attention to what he was saying but she couldn't. He was going to be fine. Her partner, her writer-monkey would be back to annoying her in no time.

"…probably around three months." Josh explained.

Three months? For recovery? Castle wouldn't like that, he'd be bored out of his mind in no time.

"You can see him a little bit. I'll come back and let you know." Josh smiled, took a step forward, kissed the top of Beckett's head and walked off.

The others sat down, relief showing on their faces. Martha and Alexis hugged each other and Ryan and Esposito, grinning, 'fed the birds'. Lanie put her hand on Beckett's shoulder for a brief moment before standing up.

"Come on, Kate, it's time for a proper meal." said the ME.

Beckett stood up and followed Lanie out of the waiting room.

He was going to be fine. No matter how long it took, no matter how hard it was, Beckett would help him, because, Ryan was right, that's what partners do.

* * *

><p>Beckett sat in Castle's room faithfully. He didn't wake so she waited.<p>

There was a knock on the door and in walked a tall women with skin the colour of chocolate and cold eyes.

"Detective Beckett?" she asked, extending her arm. "I'm Victoria Gates, the new Captain of the Twelfth."

Beckett shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you." the detective said politely.

She may have been assigned to the job but she would never be the true Captain. That job belonged, as it always would, to Montgomery. She felt a dull ache in her chest.

"I don't mean to sound cold," began Gates, the lie seeping through, "but can I expect you in the precinct bright and early? I mean, I know he's your friend and all, but from what I hear, you're my best detective, and I need you to do what you do best."

"He's my partner." Beckett replied quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"He's my partner." she repeated. "And I won't be leaving his side until he's healed and out of this bed."  
>"He isn't your partner, he isn't even a cop." Gates explained patiently.<p>

"He's my partner. He's always there for me, no matter what, and he's saved my life countless times."

"Beckett, stop joking around. Drop the charade and we'll get you a real partner, someone who actually knows what he's doing."

"Castle's my partner." said Beckett firmly.

"I'll call the Commissioner and end Castle's rights to the precinct.

"Sorry, but your hands are tied. Both the Commissioner _and_ the Mayor agree wholeheartedly to Castle being my partnership with Castle."

"I'll kick him out." Gates threatened.

"Then I'm leaving too. If you kick out my partner, you're kicking me out too. We're a package deal." Beckett said testily, starting to get really annoyed. Why didn't Gates get it?

This had done it. Gates pursed her lips but said nothing. She wouldn't want to lose her best detective. She also knew that Castle, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito were all close, and if the writer went, they all would go. She couldn't afford to lose three great detectives.

"Fine." said Gates curtly. "But you're going to have to come into work eventually. I can't have you gallivanting around the city, leaving criminals to walk free without being caught."

Beckett opened her mouth to retort but though better of it.

"Good day." Said Gates, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Well, at least you get to stay" Beckett mumbled to Castle's still body. "For now."

Esposito came into the room.

"I see you've meet Gates, I saw her leave the room. Isn't just a _pleasure_ to be around?" he frowned, then promptly grinned. "What was she so pissed about?"

"She said that Castle can't stay at the precinct, so I said that if she kicks him out, 'm leaving too." shrugged Beckett nonchalantly.

Esposito's grinned widened. "Atta girl, Beckett. Besides, you know I'd come with you and Castle, and I bet you anything Ryan would join us."

"What am I joining you for?" asked a voice from the doorway.

Ryan's head popped in the room, followed by the rest of him.

"Gates isn't a fan of Castle, so if he gets kicked out, Beckett and I are leaving and I said that you'd join us."

"Damn straight." Ryan agreed. "Oh hey, Esposito, Lanie's looking for you."

"Thanks. See you guys later." he said. He stood, smiled, and left the room.

"Where are Martha and Little Castle?" asked the Irish detective.

"They're getting something to eat, they'll be back soon."

Ryan pulled Beckett into a tight hug. He pulled away, grinning sheepishly.

"Geez, Ryan, what's with all the affection?" teased Beckett.

He lightly punched her on the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jenny's expecting me."

"Have a good night, Kev." She told him as he left, closing the door behind him and leavin Beckett alone with Castle's still frame.

"Hear that, Castle?" she told him. "Gates doesn't like you. You need to get better so you can annoy the hell out of her!"

She watched the antibiotics in the IV drip into his arm steadily.

Martha and Alexis entered the room and they both sat down. Alexis had more colour in her cheeks after eating something, and Martha seemed a bit steadier.

"Hey, Kate, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked a familiar voice.

"Josh?" she asked, leaving the room.

He was leaning against the opposite wall.

"Hey." he smiled at her. "Sorry I haven't been able to come and talk to you until now, I've been really busy all day long."

"What's up?" asked Beckett, forcing a smile.

"He's stable. He won't wake up until at least tomorrow, so you should go home and get some sleep."

"I'm not leaving until visiting hours are over." Beckett began, and as Josh interrupted, she continued. "No, Josh, listen to me. He's my partner. It's my fault that he's laying there, so I'm not leaving."

"Kate-"

"He'd do the same for me."

"Why is it your fault?" asked Josh, confused.

"I'll explain later."

"Kate-"

"_Later._" the detective said firmly, before tunring on her heel and re-entering the room, without another word to the surgeon.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Gosh, Ryan sure does like hugging Beckett, doesn't he. And about Gates...I know hardly anyuthing about her, so I took some creative liberties and used my imagination. She may or may or be like that on the show, we'll just have to wait and see._

_PS. 40 days till Rise!_


	4. Waking Up

_Summary: What if Beckett wasn't the one to get shot at Montgomery's funeral? What if Castle pushed her out of the way? Post-Knockout, Multi-chapter._

_Disclaimer: Yeah, uh...I kind of look like an unemployed high school student. I don't own castle. Not even close._

_A/N: I'm horrible at updates. This was written two months ago. Why didn't I upload it, you ask? Life is chaotic and insane. And I forgot. Please don't be too mad._

_Anyway, about this chapter: I don't know if I like it. It's the longest one so far, though, so we'll see how it is._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"Come on." Beckett muttered as she jiggled her key into her apartment door's lock.<p>

She fumbled with it for a minute before it clicked. She went in and closed it behind her, dropping her purse on the floor as she went. She dropped her hat next to it and kicked off her shoes. She grabbed sweatpants and a clean t-shirt from her bedroom and entered the bathroom. She turned on the water and shrugged out of her bloody uniform. Beckett stepped into the pounding water, letting it run off of her uselessly. She washed everything necessary and turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower, she dried herself with a fluffy white towel. She pulled on her fresh clothes, leaving her dirty ones and her towel in a heap on the floor.

Pulling her wet hair into a ponytail, Beckett left the bathroom and headed for the fridge. She wasn't hungry, but she knew she had to eat something. She pulled out some leftover noodles, grabbed a fork and collapsed on the couch. Cold leftover noodles weren't that appetizing, but she didn't feel like doing anything else. She ate them mechanically, without tasting them, and turned on the TV. She blanched when the first thing that appeared on the screen was a reporter in front of the hospital.

"…shot at the funeral of late Captain Roy Montgomery of the New York Police Department's Twelfth precinct. He was said to have been-" the reporter was saying, but Beckett turned off the TV.

None of the reporters who were there actually cared. They were all there for the same reason – to do their jobs. They didn't know how it was affecting Martha or Alexis. They didn't know how it was affecting her.

Beckett wanted to be at the hospital. She wanted to be sitting by Castle's side, as he would have been doing for her. She wanted to make everything alright. She wanted to hold his hand. She wanted to do anything, but Esposito had driven her home and told her to stay put.

She sat in the growing darkness, listening to the sounds of the city. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same thing – Castle's limp body falling to the ground. It was harder to experience every time it flashed behind her eyelids. Beckett bit her lip and stared at the ceiling. Sleep finally took her, with the images of the previous hours flooding her dreams. She woke up feeling even more tired than she had before she had fallen asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Thank you," Beckett said quietly to the taxi driver as she paid her fare.

She hurried into the hospital. She rode the elevator in silence and got off at Castle's floor, heading for his room. When she was in front of it, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment before she went in. She was greeted with a big squishy hug from Martha.

"No change?" asked Beckett, already knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid not," replied the elderly lady as the pair sat down.

"Where's Alexis?" frowned Beckett, noticing the girl's absence.

"She had an exam today," Martha said, shaking her head. "_How _she'd be able to concentrate, we'll never know. That girl is something else."

"She's one of a kind, that's for sure," agreed the detective.

They sat in silence for a minute, both staring at the man in the bed.

"It's not your fault, you know," said Martha without looking up from Castle.

"What?" frowned Beckett.

"It's not your fault he got shot." Martha turned to look at Beckett. "I know what you're thinking but it's not true.

"The bullet was aimed at me."

"He wanted to shadow you, Kate. He knew the risks, but he wanted to anyway." the redhead said wisely. "Every time you chased him away or kicked him out, he came back. He's head over heels for you. He'd protect you in a heartbeat, which is exactly what he did. And between you and me, Kate, you'd do the exact same."

Beckett didn't know what to say so she sat in silence.

"He cares about you, Kate," continued Martha. "And I know you care about him. Don't waste another minute. He needs to know."

The redheaded woman stood up. "I'm going to go get something to eat. I'll bring you back something." She squeezed Beckett's shoulder and left the room.

"I-what?" the detective asked to no one in particular.

She blinked, trying to process what Martha had said. And why did everyone tell her that he was in love with her? She was just coming to terms with _her_ feelings; she didn't need to deal with his as well.

Beckett heard a small groan. She snapped out of her reverie to see Castle's eyes flicker open.

"Castle?" she grabbed his hand as he groaned again and held onto it firmly. "I'm right here."

"Kate?" he gurgled.

"I'm here," she repeated. "I'm right here."

"Too…bright," he complained, blinking at her.

"Do you want some ice chips?" Beckett asked, holding the cup up.

Castle nodded so she placed a couple in his mouth.

He squinted at the doorway. "Doctor Motorcycle Boy?" he said with great difficulty.

"You're awake!" said a voice from the doorway.

Josh strolled in and turned to Beckett. "Doctor Motorcycle Boy?" he asked, bemused.

She shrugged, not wanting to explain. She pulled her hand away from Castle's, earning her a frown from the doctor, but neither said anything.

Josh went around, checking charts, testing a few things. He straightened up and turned once again towards Beckett.

"Take good care of our patient, okay? He looks stable but we don't want to keep our hopes up just to have him crash," Josh shot a small smile at her before turning back to the man in the bed. "Everything looks good so far. I'll be back to check on you in a bit.

The doctor gave a small smile before leaving the room.

"Josh is my doctor?" asked Castle, breathing heavily. "He saved me?"

"Yeah, he did," replied Beckett.

"Richard!" cried Martha, as she came into the room carrying a bagel and a muffin. "You're awake!"

"Hello, Mother," he choked out.

She hurried to his side, all dignity forgotten and kissed him on the head. She took his hand and squeezed it.

"I'll be right back," said Beckett quietly, excusing herself from their little moment.

Leaving the room, she took out her phone and dialed Esposito, knowing that he'd put it on speakerphone for Ryan.

"Yo," he answered. "What's up? Any news?"

"Dude, not cool," she heard Ryan mutter in the background.

"Not my fault." Esposito told him.

Beckett wandered down the hallway. "He's awake."

"He's awake?" repeated Ryan.

"Lanie!" Esposito called." Castle's awake!"

Beckett heard a squeal and she grinned. Then she heard a grumpy voice say "Can you _please_ keep it down? Some of us are actually working."

"But Perlmutter, Castle's awake! He's going to be fine!" Esposito cried.

Perlmutter said something along the lines of "Great. Throw a party why don't you?"

Beckett chuckled. What a happy person.

"Would it kill you to smile, Perlmutter?" grinned Beckett.

"Probably," he said grumpily.

"Come on, Chica, let's go out into the hall." Esposito said.

"We'll try and get there soon," said Ryan. "Iron Gates won't like it, but to hell with her."

"That's the spirit," agreed Beckett. "Listen, I need to go. I'll see you later, okay?"

"As soon as we can," promised Esposito.

She disconnected and checked the time. The exam that Alexis was taking would be done, right? Probably.

Beckett went into her phone and found the girl's number. She dialed, hoping that the exam was done.

"Hello?" answered alexis.

"Alexis? It's Kate. Your dad's awake."

"He's awake?" the teen asked, he voice going higher.

"He's awake."

Alexis sighed in relief. "I'm already on my way. I should be there soon," she said. "Thanks for calling."

"Anytime," said Beckett.

The line went dead.

Beckett headed back for Castle's room. He grinned at her when she went in.

"Why aren't Ryan and Esposito crowded around my sickbed?" he asked her, his voice already stronger, with more colour in his cheeks.

"Um…about that." She said, and his grin faltered. "The new Captain, Gates, well…she doesn't seem to be a fan of yours.

His eyes darkened. "Who is he? What's he like?"

"Well, he name is Victoria Gates. She likes to be called 'sir'."

"I-what? She? Sir?"

"Yup, she's a she. She's…different, let's just put it that way."

"And she's okay with you taking all this time off?"

"I don't know. She doesn't wear her heart in her sleeve. She's not heartless, though," replied the detective.

A brief silence fell, but Martha broke it by handing Beckett the bagel and saying "eat".

Just as she took a bite, Alexis came barreling through the door.

"Dad!" she cried, rushing to his side.

"Hi, Pumpkin," Beckett heard Castle reply as she quietly got up and left the room. She decided to go get a coffee.

She returned minutes later with her coffee and just as she was about to head back into the room, she heard Alexis say something indignantly.

"Pumpkin-" Castle began to say but he was cut off.

"Don't 'pumpkin' me, Dad. You could have been paralyzed, you could have been killed!"

"Alexis, listen to me."

"Why should I? You're not listening to me. You don't understand. I could have lost you."

"But you didn't." Castle said quietly.

"I could have. I know you're in love with her, Dad, but that's no excuse for putting your life at risk. Just tell her, okay?"

Just then, Alexis stormed out of the room but stopped dead when she saw Beckett standing there slack-jawed.

"How much did you hear?" the girl said, he eyes shining with tears.

"Enough," said Beckett. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

Alexis shrugged and followed Beckett down the hall.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yeah, so the only reason why I ended it there was because I have to go study for a math test and I don't have time to continue it (and I wanted to upload it tonight)...in my head, it was longer but we'll just stick with it ending here. Hope it's not too bad of an ending._

_I'll edit it later when I have time, so I'm sorry for any mistakes you see._

_Review? What did you like? What did you dislike (hopefully there wasn't too much of that)? I need to know so I know how to write the next chapter. _

_Love you guys!_


End file.
